Oakland, California, Mayor Jerry Brown, an avid "American Idol" fan, proclaimed last Tuesday La Toya London Day. "Ms. London is known in this community as a star and has inspired Oaklanders everywhere,'' Brown said at a "vote La Toya" party. ... In other "Idol" news, executive producer Ken Warwick has revealed that Bob Dylan's representatives have contacted the show about the legendary singer/songwriter being a guest judge next season. Producers have also been talking with another music icon, Paul McCartney. ...

Garbage Pail Kids, the tasteless trading-card series from the '80s, are back, and some pop stars are in their satirical crosshairs. When the second generation launched in the fall, it featured a character by the name of Brittney Spews. A second series that came out in March included Scuzzy Ozzy and Justin Timberleg. And in September, we'll meet Christina Ugliera. ... Flamboyant British hard rockers the Darkness will work with Def Leppard and AC/DC producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange on their next album. The band will begin work on the LP later this year. ...

Jay-Z is set to headline the Prince's Trust concert in London this weekend, and on Friday (May 7), he met Prince Charles himself. The annual benefit concert also features Jay's girlfriend, Beyoncé, on the bill. ... N.E.R.D. recently finished one tour, and in July they'll embark on another one. The group will headline a brief trek starting July 19 in Toronto and running through the Rolling Rock Town Fair near Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on July 31, with High Speed Scene opening. Pharrell and company will also be playing five dates with the Dave Matthews Band: Hartford, Connecticut (July 16-17), Camden, New Jersey (July 20-21), and their hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia (July 23). ...

Ryan Adams has temporarily shut down his Web site to grieve the death of the TV show "Friends." The site is currently decorated with a dark graveyard and a single lit tombstone that reads "R.I.P. Friends." There's also a message in medieval lettering that states, "Out of respect for Joey, Chandler, Monica, Ross, Rachel and Phoebe ryan-adams.com will be temporarily closed until further notice." ... There will be 12 second-stage acts performing during the two-day stints at this year's Lollapalooza festival. The first day will feature Broken Social Scene, the Walkmen, Wolf Eyes, Danger Mouse, the Datsuns and Sparta. The Thrills, the Fire Theft, the Coup, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Elbow and Wheat will play the second day. DJ Peretz, an alter-ego name for festival organizer and Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, will spin both days. ...

David Bowie was forced to abruptly cancel his concert Thursday in Miami after a stagehand suffered a fatal fall before showtime. Police are investigating the incident. ... The Massachusetts Fire Preventions Regulations Board voted on Thursday to permanently ban the indoor use of pyrotechnics in clubs, a reaction to the Station Fire in Rhode Island that killed 100. In January, the board banned club pyro on an emergency basis, and now it's decided to make the move permanent. Larger venues equipped with sprinklers will still be allowed to use pyro pending approval in advance by the building owner. ...

Stevie Wonder has set a June 8 release date for A Time 2 Love, his first studio album in nine years. To promote the release, the soul legend will perform on "Good Morning America" and have an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" devoted to him. ... "The Parkers" star Mo'Nique, who also joins Snoop Dogg and Method Man in the upcoming flick "Soul Plane," will host the 2004 BET Awards. The Isley Brothers will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award and actor Danny Glover will be honored for his humanitarian efforts, while the other nominees will be announced Wednesday. ...

Kool Keith, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Motion Man and Cannibal Ox's Vast Aire are among the guest MCs on the debut album from Dopestyle 1231, titled KutMasta Kurt Presents Dopestyle 1231. Keith described the music as having "a vintage feel of the critical '88 days updated." ... More than 130 performers including the Pixies, Sheryl Crow, Trey Anastasio, Dashboard Confessional and Ben Harper have been tapped for the annual Austin City Limits festival from September 17 to 19. The Zilker Park event will also feature Jack Johnson, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand and the Beta Band. ...

Ozomatli, Galactic and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe are among the bands lined up for Jam Cruise 3, a Carnival Cruiselines four-day event leaving Jacksonville, Florida, on January 6, 2005. Sound Tribe Sector 9, Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit and the North Mississippi Allstars will also perform on the cruise, which will stop in the Bahamas. ... Marilyn Manson has a cameo role in the upcoming flick "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things," starring Asia Argento ("XXX"). The film will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival later this month. ...

5.6.2004

G-Unit rapper Young Buck recently shot a video in Nashville for his upcoming solo album, Straight Outta Cashville, due June 15. The clip for the first single, "Let Me In," features G-Unit captain 50 Cent (who is also on the song), Lloyd Banks and Daz. ...

Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti has entered a Florida studio with his new project, Alter Bridge, to begin work on their debut album, expected this fall. Creed singer Scott Stapp is also working on a side project, though he has yet to begin recording. ... The Metallica documentary "Some Kind of Monster," which chronicles the making of St. Anger and features footage of the band in therapy, will be released theatrically on July 9. The film will open in a limited run in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco but will spread to other U.S. markets this fall. Metallica have now mapped out North American shows through November 20 in San Antonio, Texas. The last leg of their North American tour will kick off August 16 in St. Paul, Minnesota; the most recent addition is November 13 in Duluth, Georgia. ...

Jamaican music pioneer Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd died of a heart attack Tuesday at his famed Studio One recording studio in Kingston. He was 72. Studio One was responsible for amplifying the sounds of ska, rocksteady and reggae throughout the world, and Sir Coxsone is credited with launching the career of Bob Marley. ... New York-based dancehall label VP Records is celebrating its 25th anniversary with two concerts -- Saturday in New York and May 30 in Miami. Sean Paul, Elephant Man, Shaggy, Beenie Man and T.O.K. are some of the artists scheduled to appear. ...

New York, be prepared to get crunk. King of hype music Lil Jon and his labelmates the Ying Yang Twins are among the first artists announced for the lineup of Hot 97's Summer Jam, taking place June 12 at Giants Stadium in E. Rutherford, New Jersey. New York's Alicia Keys and Jadakiss are on the bill, as are out-of-towners Big Boi of Outkast and Kanye West. ... Straight outta Compton, California, comes a new charity organization launched by the family of late N.W.A member Eric "Eazy-E" Wright. EazyStreetkids raises money for underprivileged children and the local school system. ...

Fabolous has designed his very own New Era 59Fifty fitted ball cap. The white-pinstriped New York Yankees hat hits stores on May 27. ... According to Def Jam, incarcerated rapper Shyne's debut album on the label is now scheduled to drop August 10. No title has been announced. ...

Josh Homme and the new lineup of Queens of the Stone Age -- bassist Alain Johannes, guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen and drummer Joey Castillo -- plan to hit the studio at the end of the month to begin work on their next album, the follow-up to 2002's Songs for the Deaf. ... Mötley Crüe will launch a 60-gig farewell tour with all their original members next year, singer Vince Neil told Los Angeles radio station XTRA. It will be the first Crüe tour since 2000. ... Megadeth will issue a new album in September -- their first since frontman Dave Mustaine injured his arm in early 2002. And while Mustaine insists it will be as heavy as anything the band has recorded, he no longer strives to keep music evil. "I have believed in God for years, just never was too vocal about it," he wrote in a post on the band's Web site. "Until my arm fell apart I had no need for him. Since then, I have changed my mind and opened it [and] great things have happened for me." ...

Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, the new album by British electronic group the Prodigy, is expected to drop in August. The LP, which will include the tunes "Girlz," "Get Up Get Off," "Wake Up" and "Hotride," follows 1997's The Fat of the Land, whose "Firestarter" helped introduce the genre to mainstream U.S. audiences. ... R.E.M. are nearly done with their first album since 2001's Reveal, the band said on its Web site. The group is just about finished recording at Compass Point studio in Nassau in the Bahamas and is about to head to Miami to mix. Tracks will likely include "On the Fly," "The Outsiders," "Leaving New York," "Wanderlust" and "Electron Blue." The still-untitled album is scheduled for a fall release. R.E.M. will tour to support the LP. ...